Renee Van Halm

Pieces of domestic furniture, usually modernist, are copied and reconsidered in these works and their function altered to provide frameworks for smaller discreet objects or paintings. This group of works includes Architect’s Cabinet, Privacy Screen, Nightgown, Implication and Two Vanities.

The works Architect’s Cabinet, Privacy Screen and Nightgown, all in some way refer to the infamous conflict between the architect Mies van der Rohe and his client Edith Farnsworth in the design and construction of her house. Her need for privacy was undermined by the transparency of this modernist project - inevitable conflicts arose from this need and the architect’s unwillingness to compromise his design. Images of the iconic Farnsworth house are framed in representations of equally iconic pieces of modernist furniture, all but one designed by women.

Architect's Cabinet

< Architect’s Cabinet is a linear interpretation of Eileen Gray’s cabinet that frames a grisaille painting of a view of the Farnsworth house. Eileen Gray’s cabinet was made for a male patron, the house depicted designed by a male architect for his female client. The colours used in this work are based on summer 1997 clothing colours found at the Gap. The work ironically enough now resides in a Mies van der Rohe building in downtown Toronto.